There’s certainly nothing easy about no-prep style drag racing, and that’s precisely why few racers are willing to give it a shot and risk damage to their cars….or worse, to themselves. Such racing combines vehicle setup, driver skill, and a little bit of lady luck to do it both safely and successfully, and as we’ve seen countless times, many wannabe no-prep racers lack one or all of those traits.

Back in June, the I-29 Dragway in Iowa hosted the second of its No-Prep Heads-Up drag racing series events, and on that particular Friday night, the lack of quality rubber and glue proved to be a little more than this small-tire Mustang could handle. The driver was fighting the car before the 330-foot mark as it lost traction and began to sashay. He nearly had it gathered up, but with the win light ahead and his competitor still in the rearview mirror, the driver made one last crack at the throttle to get across the stripe, and that move proved to be the straw that broke the camels back, as the Mustang shot to the right into and up onto the steel railing.

The contact between the Armco rail and the undercarriage of the car may have likely severed the fuel lines, which caused it to quickly burst into flames. Fortunately, the driver was able to jump from the smoldering Fox body without injury. The car, meanwhile, was certainly going to need some work before it’s back running again.

Credit to 1320Video for the clip!